


Hug for: Victory

by IwriteDreams



Series: Hug for: [3]
Category: World Trigger (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 01:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20037649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IwriteDreams/pseuds/IwriteDreams
Summary: “I recall you… calling him ‘aimless’ at one point, is that right?”Prompt three: hurt and comfort





	Hug for: Victory

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: HUrt and comfort
> 
> Yeah I LOVE the Kage Kou rarepair dont @ me its great

Kou has long since learned the code to the Kageura squad room entrance, and while he doesn’t like to barge in, or even walk in unannounced, he’s tried to ping Kage’s cell phone many times, so it wasn’t as if he wasn’t trying to _ be unannounced_. 

He’d seen Kitazoe and Ema leaving the building earlier that afternoon, and he figured that Kunichika wouldn’t be keen on sticking around with Kage in such a bad mood- if he knows anything about her in the few times he’s met her. 

He was disappointed but not surprised that Kage hadn’t reached out. Being in pain around others wasn’t anything new, but while being in pain turned Kage into the angry beast he was known for being, being in pain and being genuinely saddened around others? That was a different story. Kou had a gut feeling that Kage was perhaps taking a lot of this pain, both physically, and emotionally, and instead of turning outwards akin to how he handles his physical pain, was turning it inwards, at himself. Which never did much good for anybody. 

Sure enough, when the door opened for Kou, the lights in the squad room were off, and all Kou saw was Kage’s slouched figure, hunched over on the couch, and the light from his cellphone screen. 

Kage turns towards him, at the sound of the door opening. “Oh.” Kage manages, and it’s quiet. His shoulders go loose. “...hey.”

Kou blinks at him, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. It’s very usual for people in depression or depressed states to like the darkness- as it helps justify their constant will to sleep. Still, Kou feelings like now might not be a great time to bring up a lot of “Stupid scientific shit.” As Kage delicately puts it. So Kou leaves the lights alone for now. 

  
“Hello.” Kou greets. “You wouldn’t answer your phone, and I haven't seen you… I figure you’re upset and wanted to check-in.”

Kage scoffs. “What am I, a child? You don’t need to check-in or whatever.” he scoffs, but it’s too late because Kou’s already made himself comfortable on the couch next to Kage, and Kage instinctually turns off his phone. 

“You’re… my boyfriend.” Kou says- and it is a fact, that Kage cannot refute. “Of course I need to check-in. I want to make sure you’re doing alright.”

“Do I _ look _like I’m doing alright?” Kage grunts and Kou can even hear the scowl in his voice. “I’m basically one big, major fuck up.”

Kou slouches forward. Kage looks like he’s very tired and less cranky than normal. A fairly good indicator that all of his usual hate and snark is going somewhere other than outward. Maybe _ good _wasn’t the right word for it, but…

“Do you… want to talk about it?” and Kou poses it like a question, because if Kage isn’t really going to talk, then he’ll respect that.

“No.”

“Are you sure? Communication is important for healthy relationships.”

Okay, Kou respects it, but he’ll make it known that he wishes Kage would. 

“You’ve probably already figured out everything already.” Kage snapped, and there's ice in his eyes. Kou flinches because it’s rare for so much emotion to be put into his words. 

“I just want to help you,” Kou says, quietly. “That’s all I ever want.”

Kage frowns, and slouches deeper into the couch. He knows damn well that he can’t get away with being emotionally detached. Kou won't let him pretend that he doesn’t care- they both know better. And Kou has never been one to wallow for elongated amounts of time- if there was a problem, he would tackle it and fix it, at the very least try his best to do so.

So Kage has no escape when Kou asks again:

“Why are you feeling so upset?”

_ “Ema lied to me. _”

Kou blinked. “What?”  
  


“After… the match.” Kage said- and it’s strange to hear his voice with such a lack of energy. No bite, no spunk, nothing. A hollow Kage doesn’t seem like Kage at all. “We… lost. Ema can’t be selected… for the away mission.” Kage said. 

“I promised him,” Kage said, eyes scrunching up, from what Kou could gather, they looked like tears. “I promised him that we would get him on that away squad. He’s talented, he’s young… he… he needed a win!” Kage slams his fist downwards into the couch as he said that, the first tears spilling over. 

“Oh- that’s right, his family.” Kou’s trying to find the memories of exactly Kage said was the deal with Ema’s homelife. It seemed to be a topic that Kage got frustrated about quickly. He got protective over nothing as much as Ema. Kage’s been cited to have called him a little brother.

“It’s… just his dad,” Kage said. “Nobody ever tells him that he’s succeeded... Nobody’s ever… been there to celebrate a victory with.”

“You’ve mentioned that before,” Kou said, trying to formulate a coherent thought whilst he watches Kage, of all people, cry. “That Ema never seems to tell a defeat from a victory.”

“Then he lost Hatohara- who was always there, to make him set goals so that there could be a victory?”  
  


“I recall you… calling him ‘aimless’ at one point, is that right?”

“Yes!” kage says, and those tears do not belong on his face. “That’s… exactly what it is! He doesn’t know how to be proud- so when he had this goal it was great! It was something that mattered, something to work for! And I promised him… and I fucked it up!”

Kou opened his mouth, ready to ask if Kage wanted a hug, before remembering the tactic that he’d been developing. Kage was very good at saying no, and very bad at saying yes- so instead of asking for permission anything anymore, Kou asked about objections. This seemed to have been yielding positive results thus far.

So Kou’s arms wrap around Kage’s back and pull him so that Kage is leaning back against his chest. Kou lets his forehead rest in Kage’s hair as he stares down at the space between them, he can count the number of times Kage trembles every second. 

“Let me know if you want to let go and give you space.”

Kage said nothing, which was a “yes please keep going,” his crying was getting more manageable and quiet, Kou could hear him wrestling breaths under control. 

“I’m afraid… I don’t understand how he lied to you though.” Kou said. “So far, I understand that you’re upset because you feel that you’ve failed him.”

“We do this for fun!” Kage snarled. “We do this because we can. This was the _ one time we had something to lose! _And we mess it up! This was the one time… it had any stakes at all.”

“That’s… It is upsetting.” Kou said. “But do you think Ema really blames you?”  
  
“I could feel him,” Kage said blankly. “After the match. He was so defeated. He was crying- never really seen him cry much- or smile much. And he told me it was fine. That he was fine. That it didn’t matter. Little shit’s trying to pretend that he’s okay- but I feel him, and it’s miserable! He’s miserable! It’s the one goal he’s had, the one things he’s worked towards, the one thing that’s mattered to him in ages… and we miss our chance. It wouldn't be so bad if he just- put himself out there more! But this was the only thing, The only thing making him smile recently… were the two snipers he’d bring over to practice… and we blew it.”

“He really has it in for that girl that bad though?” Kou asked. “I think maybe it’s safer for him, still so shy to take this a little bit slower.”

“Maybe,” Kage said. “But… if you see them? Not just the little girl and Ema, but the other one- the C rank with the cat? They just… click. Ema has friends now, his own age. People he can joke with and smile with. I just want to do my part in keeping him as happy as he is right now.”

“It’s going to be okay,” Kou assured him, leaning forward to press a kiss to Kage’s cheek. “He’s gonna be okay. It wasn’t your fault. If you’d had your way, he’d be on that expedition- he knows that.”

“It doesn’t change that we didn’t get him in there.”  
  


“It… doesn’t. You’re right.” Kou said. “But Ema must be relived that Chika is going with her own team, and will be safe. Her goal is to search for somebody… this probably won’t be the last expedition she will go on. Probably the first of many. You have more chances.”

“Ema had worked hard for this,” Kage said. “He worked so damn hard.”

“It’ll make for a good story that he can tell her on their first date.” Kou smiled. “I’m almost positive that’s how this plays out.”  
  


“And if it doesn’t?” Kage asks, but Kou’s holding Kage a little tighter from behind. 

“It will.”

**Author's Note:**

> PLease.... is anybody here??? Are you alive???? You should.... comment. PLEASE. I'm talking into the void tHERES NOBODY HEREE


End file.
